Wang Bi (226–249),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

Fusi, was a Chinese philosopher and politician, expertise in Yijing and

Xuanxue Xuanxue (), sometimes called Neo-Daoism (Neo-Taoism), is a metaphysical post-classical Chinese philosophy from the Six Dynasties (222-589), bringing together Taoist and Confucian beliefs through revision and discussion. The movement found its scri ...

Life

Wang Bi served as a minor bureaucrat in the state of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period. He was married with a daughter when he died of sickness at the age of 23. Wang Bi's most important works are commentaries on Laozi's ''

Tao Te Ching The ''Tao Te Ching'' (, ; ) is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though the text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion ...

'' and the '' I Ching''. The text of the ''Tao Te Ching'' that appeared with his commentary was widely considered the best copy of his work until the discovery of the Han-era Mawangdui texts in 1973. He was a scholar of

Writings

At least three works by Wang Bi are known: a commentary on

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

' ''

Analects The ''Analects'' (; ; Old Chinese: '' ŋ(r)aʔ''; meaning "Selected Sayings"), also known as the ''Analects of Confucius'', the ''Sayings of Confucius'', or the ''Lun Yu'', is an ancient Chinese book composed of a large collection of sayings a ...

'', which survives only in quotations; commentaries on the '' I Ching'' and the ''

'', which not only have survived but have greatly influenced subsequent Chinese thought on those two classics. His commentary on the ''I Ching'' has been translated into English by Richard John Lynn, ''The Classic of Changes'' (New York: Columbia University, 1994) Several translations into English have been made of his commentary of the ''Tao Te Ching'': * Ariane Rump, translator ''Commentary on the Lao Tzu by Wang Pi'', ''Monographs of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy'', No. 6 (Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1979) * Richard John Lynn, translator ''The Classic of the Way and Virtue; A New Translation of the Tao-te Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi'' (New York: Columbia University, 1999) * Rudolf Wagner, translator.'' A Chinese Reading of the Daodejing: Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation'' (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003)

References

Works cited

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). '' Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi zhu'').

External links

Wang Bi in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
226 births 249 deaths 3rd-century Chinese philosophers Cao Wei politicians Cao Wei Taoists Cao Wei writers Philosophers from Shandong Politicians from Shandong Three Kingdoms philosophers Xuanxue Writers from Shandong Chinese classicists {{China-philosopher-stub

Life

Writings

See also

References

Works cited

External links